East Orange, New Jersey

East Orange is a city in Essex County, New Jersey, USA. As of the United States 2000 Census, the city had a total population of 69,824. The United States Census Bureau's 2005 population estimate for East Orange was 68,190. East Orange was originally incorporated as a township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 4, 1863, from portions of Orange town, and was reincorporated as a city on December 9, 1899, based on the results of a referendum held two days earlier.

Geography

East Orange is located at (40.766050, -74.211699).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.9 square miles (10.2 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 69,824 people, 26,024 households, and 16,082 families residing in the city. The population density was 17,776.6 people per square mile (6,859.8/km²). There were 28,485 housing units at an average density of 7,252.0/sq mi (2,798.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 89.46% African American, 3.84% White, 0.25% Native American, 0.43% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 2.14% from other races, and 3.80% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.70% of the population.

There were 26,024 households out of which 31.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 26.0% were married couples living together, 28.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.2% were non-families. 33.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.37.

In the city the population was spread out with 28.1% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 30.1% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 81.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 74.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $32,346, and the median income for a family was $38,562. Males had a median income of $31,905 versus $30,268 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,488. About 15.9% of families and 19.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.7% of those under age 18 and 14.0% of those ages 65 or over.

As part of the 2000 Census, 89.46% of East Orange's residents identified themselves as being African American. This was one of the highest percentages of African American people in the United States, and the second-highest in New Jersey (behind Lawnside, at 93.6%) of all places with 1,000 or more residents identifying their ancestry.

Although still a small percentage of total residents, Orange and East Orange have the largest concentrations of Guyanese Americans in the country. In the 2000 Census, 2.5% of East Orange residents identified as being of Guyanese ancestry. While Queens and Brooklyn had larger populations in terms of raw numbers, Orange (with 2.9%) and East Orange had the highest percentages of people of Guyanese ancestry as a portion of the total population of all places in the United States with at least 1,000 people identifying their ancestry.

Government

Local government

East Orange is governed under the City form of New Jersey municipal government. The government consists of a Mayor and a City Council made up of ten members, two each representing the city's five geographical districts or wards. A Mayor is elected directly by the voters. The Borough Council consists of ten members elected to serve four-year terms on a staggered basis, with one seat in each ward coming up for election every other year.

The East Orange City Council carries out the legislative duties of municipal government. This body enacts by ordinance, resolution or motion, the laws under which our city is governed. The City Council reviews and adopts the municipal budget that is prepared and presented to the legislative body by the Mayor.

The Mayor of East Orange is Robert L. Bowser Mayor Bowser is a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition, a bi-partisan group with a stated goal of "making the public safer by getting illegal guns off the streets." The Coalition is co-chaired by Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Members of the City Council are:

• 1st Ward: Thomas L. Brown (2007) and Joyce C. Goore (2009)
• 2nd Ward: Jacquelyn E. Johnson (2007) and Virginia M. Cross (2009)
• 3rd Ward: Chairwoman Quilla E. Talmadge (2007) and Ted R. Green (2009)
• 4th Ward: Sharon Fields (2007) and William C. Holt (2009)
• 5th Ward: Mary E. Patterson (2007) and Alicia Holman (2009)

Federal, state and county representation

East Orange is in the Tenth Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 34th Legislative District.

Politics

On the national level, East Orange leans strongly toward the Democratic Party. In 2004, Democrat John Kerry received 93% of the vote here, defeating Republican George W. Bush, who received around 6%.

Education

East Orange School District operates the public schools of East Orange. The district is one of 31 Abbott Districts statewide. In 2003, Patrick Healy Middle School was identified as one of seven "persistently dangerous" middle schools in New Jersey. This designation has since been removed. East Orange Community Charter School is a public charter school in East Orange.

All of East Orange is served by East Orange Campus High School, which is on the site of the former Upsala College.

Commerce

Portions of East Orange are part of an Urban Enterprise Zone . In addition to other benefits to encourage employment within the Zone, shoppers can take advantage of a reduced 3½% sales tax rate (versus the 7% rate charged statewide).

Transportation

East Orange lies at the intersection of the Garden State Parkway and Interstate 280. It is 7.8 miles from Newark Liberty International Airport in the nearby cities of Newark and Elizabeth.

Local transportation around the city and into neighboring communities is provided by Coach USA bus routes 24 & 44 and multiple New Jersey Transit public bus lines, which includes routes 5, 21, 34, 41, 71, 73, 79, 90, 92, 94, and 97. New Jersey Transit also runs two commuter rail train stations in East Orange, both located along the Morris & Essex Lines. The East Orange Station is found beside the westbound lanes of Interstate 280, directly across its parking lot from East Orange City Hall. Just one mile west up Main Street is Brick Church Station, the city's second rail stop and the more heavily used of the two. Both have seven-day service to Hoboken Terminal as well as Midtown Direct service to New York Penn Station in Midtown Manhattan.

Sister city

East Orange is a sister city of Nakuru, Rift Valley Province, Kenya.

Notable residents

Notable current and former residents of East Orange include:

• Jamal Anderson (1972-), former NFL running back.
• Dena Atlantic, Actress.
• Troy CLE, pseudonym of Troy Tompkins, author of The Marvelous Effect (set in East Orange).
• Richard Codey (1946-), former Governor of New Jersey
• William Joseph Fallon (1944-), United States Navy Admiral who is the current Commander of United States Central Command.
• Franklin W. Fort (1880-1937), represented New Jersey's 9th congressional district from 1925-1931.
• Major Harold Geiger (1884-1927), pioneer in Army aviation and ballooning.
• Althea Gibson (1927-2003), tennis player, died in East Orange and was interred in Rosedale Cemetery, Orange, New Jersey.
• David Garrard (1978-), currently the starting quarterback for the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars.
• Slide Hampton (1932-), jazz trombonist.
• Carolyn Gold Heilbrun (1926-2003), author who wrote mystery novels under the pen name of Amanda Cross.
• Brian Hill (1947-), former coach of the Orlando Magic.
• Whitney Houston (1963-), singer
• Janis Ian (1951-), singer-songwriter.
• Monte Irvin (1919-), Major League Baseball player, member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Ranked #12 on the Sports Illustrated list of The 50 Greatest New Jersey Sports Figures.
• Jarrod Johnson, former professional football player. Selected to the 1986 Star Ledger All State football Team and was an inductee into the Seton Hall Prep Hall of Fame class of 2000.
• Ernest Lester Jones (1876-1929), head of the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey from 1914 until his death.
• Queen Latifah (1970-), rapper and actress.
• Clara Maass (1876-1901), nurse who died as a result of volunteering for medical experiments to study yellow fever.
• Naomi Long Madgett (1923-), the African American poet, was raised in East Orange.
• Daniel F. Minahan (1877-1947), represented New Jersey's 6th congressional district from 1919 to 1921 and again from 1923 to 1925.
• Treach, Vin Rock, and Kay Gee members of the rap group Naughty by Nature.
• Eddie Rabbitt, country music singer.
• Shareefa, an R&B singer
• Marcus Toney-El, basketball player
• Albert L. Vreeland (1901-1975), was a United States Representative from New Jersey.
• Dionne Warwick, singer
• William H. Wiley (1842-1925), served on the East Orange township committee from 1886 to 1888, and was president for one year. He represented New Jersey's 8th congressional district from 1903 to 1907 and from 1909 to 1911, and was a co-founder and former president of the publishing company John Wiley & Sons.
• Bruce Williams, radio host.

References

External links

• East Orange website
• East Orange School District
• data for the East Orange School District, National Center for Education Statistics
• East Orange Community Charter School website